Palma: The European Parliament has approved new flight refund rules that make travel agents and booking platforms return the full ticket price, including their own fee, within 14 days of a cancelled flight. Parliament adopted the text by 652 votes to 2, with 8 abstentions, according to a press release dated 20 October 2026. The vote closes a long gap in the law, because passengers who booked through an intermediary have often watched the airline and the agent blame each other.
Under the flight refund rules, the airline pays the intermediary and the intermediary pays the passenger. Euperspectives reports a split of seven days for each step, but the Parliament release gives only the 14-day total, so the exact split needs checking against the legal text. Intermediaries must also explain the refund arrangements at the moment of booking, which gives travellers a clear point of contact before they pay.
The text adds a common EU claim form for reimbursement and compensation. The Commission will publish the form in all languages and for all travel types, and passengers may use an equivalent carrier form instead. Passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility may bring a necessary companion free of charge. National enforcement authorities may start audits, inspections or interviews on their own initiative, not only after a complaint arrives.
Rapporteur Matteo Ricci, an Italian member of the Socialists and Democrats, framed the flight refund rules as a question of enforcement. He said Parliament is prioritising the rights of citizens over the profits of airlines, and he told Euperspectives that there are no rights if they cannot be implemented. The procedure carries the number 2023/0437(COD). The Parliament release does not give the regulation’s formal title, so readers should confirm it before they cite the act.
The industry sees the flight refund rules differently. Euperspectives reports that Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has warned that more regulation could raise fares, although the article gives no primary source for the remark. Intermediaries will also face new costs, since they must hold refund money for a short window and handle claims that used to bounce between companies.
The next steps are formal. The Council still has to approve the text, and publication in the Official Journal follows. The flight refund rules apply from 23 October 2027, the same date as the updated air passenger rights regulation, and the current rules stay in force until then. The press release leaves open when the Council will act, so the timetable could still move.
For travellers, the practical gain is a single door to knock on. A passenger who books a flight through a platform will deal with that platform, and national authorities will gain stronger tools to check whether companies keep their promises. If enforcement bodies use their new audit powers, the flight refund rules could change how the whole booking chain treats a cancelled flight.
